Ogham (pronounced OH-mm, and spelled 'Ogam' in Old Irish) is an ancient Irish writing system made up of simple line markings along a straight edge. 

The original Ogham alphabet consists of 20 characters, called feda (singular, fid), divided into four groups of five, known as aicmí (singular, aicme). Later on, five more letters, called the forfeda (‘extra letters’), were added to the system.

The alphabet is often referred to as Beth-luis-nin, named after three of the letters of the first group, much like how the Greek alphabet begins with Alpha and Beta. 

Each Ogham letter represents both a sound, and there are lists of other associations (including trees or plants). Each letter also holds a set of symbolic poetic meanings, called kennings, which are keys to knowledge known as the Bríatharogaim. 

In early Irish literature, a Bríatharogam (‘word ogham’, plural Bríatharogaim) is a two-word phrase that explains the meaning of the names of the letters in the Ogham alphabet.

Three different lists of these word Ogham have survived in manuscripts from the Old Irish period. They are:

• Bríatharogam Morainn mac Moín
• Bríatharogam Maic ind Óc
• Bríatharogam Con Culainn

Although many Irish stories mention Ogham being carved into wood or bark for spells and recording genealogies, it is the (around) 400 stones with Ogham inscriptions still standing in Ireland that provide the most lasting evidence. 

These stones were likely used as burial markers, memorials, boundary stones, or even legal documents to show who owned the land they stood on.

The exact time Ogham originated is hard to determine because there are no clear historical or archaeological records to pinpoint its start. However, most experts believe that the tradition of carving Ogham into stone goes back to at least the 4th Century (300s CE), around the time Latin started to spread in Ireland through contact with Roman Britain and early Christian monks. 

Whether Ogham began at that time or has older, Pagan roots is still uncertain, though David Stifter has written:

“Ogam could be as well suited for the language of the 1st or 2nd centuries as for that of the 4th century.”

Ogham’s role in marking the graves of heroes is remembered in Ireland’s famous epic, The Táin, where it says:

[Etarcomol] “His grave is dug then and his stone planted; his name is written in ogam; his lament is celebrated.” - Faraday Translation. 

Ogham remains a vital part of Ireland’s ancient heritage, offering insights into our culture, language, and beliefs of our people.

SOURCES

• David Stifter, "Ogam: Language, Writing, Epigraphy," AELAW (2022).
• L. Winifred Faraday, trans., The Cattle-Raid of Cualnge (Táin Bó Cuailnge): An Old Irish Prose-Epic (London: David Nutt, 1904), accessed September 09, 2024, https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/14391/pg14391-images.html.